When the line between fantasy and reality is erased, the real fun begins…

At a boring benefit dinner, Stacy keeps herself occupied by imagining erotic encounters with the other guests. When it’s time for the evening’s spousal auction, one of the sexy men she’s been fantasizing about bids on her — and wins! Will Stacy’s evening end with a demure dessert for two … or has her husband planned something much more exciting?

Reader advisory: This 11,000-word story has been heavily revised, extended, and reedited. It is for adult readers only and features steamy daydreams, a BWWM hotwife cuckold, oral sex, girl-on-girl, and just desserts. Previously published as Fantasy vs Reality.

There’s been a lot of drama surrounding Ellora’s Cave (EC) since August 2014 and I will not speak to that. My books were reverted at the cost of my unpaid royalties so I’m out but there are some authors who are not. Those authors have a request to their readers.

**** Barbara Huffert on her website ****
Note: As of 10 Dec 2015, the two below screencaps are the front page of her website. Because this is not a blog post or a tweet, this announcement can be removed at any time to make room for other announcements.

Note: This list is not exhaustive by any means. As more requests come my attention, I will update. The screen captures above are linked back to their sources, which are shared on public platforms. The authors did not ask that I compile this list. I’m doing it on my own because I have too much free time on my hands.

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PhilCon is this weekend — 20-22 November 2015 in the Crown Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ. I’ll be there doing panels, and a reading and just generally wandering around.

For those attending, here’s my schedule for panels:

Fri 9:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)WRITING THE PARANORMAL OTHER (2141)
[Panelists: D. Renee Bagby (mod), Ken Altabef, Phil Giunta, Gail Z. Martin, Andi O’Connor]
Authors are advised to write what they know, but how do you write about death, the afterlife, demonic possession, and other (un)living conditions you’ve never experienced

Sat 10:00 AM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)THE FRUSTRATION OF INCOMPLETE SERIES (2174)
[Panelists: Aaron Rosenberg (mod), D. Renee Bagby, Ty Drago, Jack Hillman]
Think of those last books that never come out. Why does this happen? Is there any good response to this situation, or are we stuck going crazy

Sat 1:00 PM in Plaza I (One) (1 hour)A GIRLFRIEND’S GUIDE TO MANGA (2246)
[Panelists: Ciara Powell (mod), D. Renee Bagby]
We all know about Shojo, Shonen, and even Seinen manga and anime. But what about Josei? Come learn about the history of women’s anime and manga and learn what titles you should be watching and reading

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[Insert Giddy Laughing Here] I’m free. I just finished my ghostwriting story and sent it to my client. That means I can now focus on my own stuff and the thing I’m going to focus on first is the Eternal Truths Series (Time, Death, Creation, and Chaos). You’ll remember that Time is Eris, which I recently got back.

I’ll be tweaking Eris and working on the other titles for however long that takes. I just re-read my notes for the Chaos (aka Errita) book and got all excited. That is going to be the most fun to write because it crosses all the worlds of the multiverse, finally introducing them all like I should have done years ago.

Important Note: I think some people are a little confused about the Eternal Truths Series and think Kaylie, Eris’s sister, will be the next book. She’s not part of the series. She will get a book eventually but that book isn’t part of the Eternal Truths Series. Declan, Eris’s brother, also has a book coming but again that book isn’t part of the Eternal Truths Series. Yes, I know. I make things confusing. Sorry. 😛

It’s been forever and a day since I’ve updated my blog, not counting yesterday’s post. I had some health issues that took a lot out of me, but I’m getting better and jumping back into things. It’s almost Labor Day weekend and back to school and that means SALES!

I figured I would jump on the bandwagon and offer one of my own…

99¢ until 26 Sep 2015

You read that right. VIP Room Service (Other Related Duties 1) is on sale for 99¢ (regularly $2.99) until 26 Sep 2015 at all major retailers. Get your copy and find out how Lexie puts the HOT in hotel erotica.

Lexie’s job as a maid at a five-star hotel doesn’t normally include the unique and risqué form of room service that rich guest Mr. Malena has requested, nor the generous tip he’s offered. Submission and exhibition and a menage. Lexie can’t resist. What should have been a one-time thing turns into an introduction into the sensual world of customer satisfaction. This is one workplace encounter that could get her fired…or will it?

VIP Room Service is touring the web to get the word out about the sale. Check out the blogs listed below to learn fun tidbits about the characters and the making of the book, as well info about yours truly.

It took a while but it’s finally here. The next installment of the Guardian’s Tales series will be coming to your ereaders very soon.

On the Double by Zenobia Renquist

[Guardian’s Tales 4]

** Interracial Shifter Romance, MFM **

Roman and Kenz are looking for the woman who will complete their triad. But is Letha the one?

Letha, an African American woman with a troubled past, thinks one man should be more than enough — until she meets two possessive alpha males. Roman, a bird shifter, and Kenz, a snake shifter, are looking for the woman who will complete their triad.

When this threesome comes together, the sheets start to sizzle. Everything should be perfect, but something is preventing them from completing the bond that would make their union permanent. With the full moon approaching, Roman and Kenz have one chance to make Letha theirs — or lose her forever.

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You read the headline correctly. The owners of Musa Publishing announced today to the authors via email and the readers via Facebook that they are closing on 28 February 2015. Yup. The end of the THIS month.

Short notice but at least the owners gave notice and they are going out in a classy and honest way. All authors are having rights reverted. I plan to re-release Wine Service under a different title and cover as quickly as possible after the rights revert. The book hasn’t been out a year and there are more books coming in the series, which will also be renamed.

It was a short but good relationship that has now ended and upped the timeline for my self-publishing ventures. More news about that coming soon.

Now the short response to this entire article is IT’S FICTION. We’re talking about woman’s FANTASIES. People read Romance (Mainstream and Erotic) and Erotica as an ESCAPE. Too much reality ruins the mood and the writing. But I didn’t start this blog post to give a short answer. Let’s jump into the article, shall we?

1. Women climax on demand.
If the title in question is a BDSM Erotica/Erotic Romance, then yes, she does climax on demand. I’m sure many women in the lifestyle could tell stories about having an orgasm on demand.

But, for the sake of argument, let’s talk about non-BDSM titles that include the same. The “demand” or “command” from the Hero is showing is alpha personality and how he’s in control of the Heroine’s pleasure. Since Romance is chock full of alpha heroes, of course he’s going to demand/command she orgasm and the heroine is going to listen.

2. “I come undone.”
I can’t say I’ve ever heard a woman say this, but then I’ve never had sex with a woman. Have I said it? Nope. To say that no woman has never said it aloud or otherwise is a gross generalization. “I come undone” is no different than saying “I lost it” or some other variation of that phrase.

3. Women come from penetrative sex.
The article author dismisses the notion outright. According to Dr. Justin J. Lehmiller’s blog post on the topic “researchers found that 55% of the women reported having reached orgasm during intercourse solely from penile movements at least once before…” Citing a real world study veers off the “it’s fiction” argument, but hey I like facts.

4. Women never have bad pain or hesitation when he wants to put something up their butts.
Granted this complaint is realistic. A lot of books I’ve read (hell I even wrote one before I did some actual research) just jump into anal without preparation. The human body doesn’t work like that and there are times when fiction has to bow before reality. This is one of those times. There are many articles on how to prepare for anal sex and they all pretty much say the same thing — take your time, go slow, and have lube on hand.

5. “My sex.” It’s called a clit.6. “His length.” It’s called a dick.
I’m tackling these two together because my argument for both is the same. Euphemisms, synonyms, and allusions keep prose interesting. Every editor everywhere will tell you that word repetition is a HUGE no-no.

Let’s see an example from my Contemporary Erotica title Wine Service using the above mentioned suggestions:

****
She moved closer to him, placing her nipples near his undiminished dick. “Are you going to drink the wine now?”

“No. You are.” After uncorking the bottle, he tipped the bottle over his dick and poured enough to wet his dick. “There you are.”

She stared as the wine trickled down his dick and over his balls. “I can’t.” She swallowed with her lips pressed together to keep her tongue in her mouth. The urge to taste the wine and Mr. Malena’s dick with it urged her fingers faster, and she stroked her clit so she satisfied at least one need.
****

Now here’s how it appears in the actual title because the above hurts to read and I know my editor is probably itching to correct it…

****
She moved closer to him, placing her nipples near his undiminished erection. “Are you going to drink the wine now?”

“No. You are.” After uncorking the bottle, he tipped the bottle over his dick and poured enough to wet his length. “There you are.”

She stared as the wine trickled down his shaft and over his balls. “I can’t.” She swallowed with her lips pressed together to keep her tongue in her mouth. The urge to taste the wine and Mr. Malena’s dick with it urged her fingers faster, and she stroked her clit so she satisfied at least one need.
****

I’m sure you noticed the difference. Which do you prefer?

7. Men are infinitely more sexually experienced than their partners.
[Begin Sarcasm] Because there’s nothing I want to read about more than two people fumbling their way through sex. [End Sarcasm] When the Heroine is a virgin (and she usually is), the Hero needs to know what he’s doing. On those rare occasions when the Hero is the virgin, the Heroine needs to know what’s happenings. In either scenario, someone needs to have some kind of experience beyond “the colors of the wind.” (See Disney’s Pocahontas if you don’t get that reference).

It’s also a sad commentary on our society that we expect men to be experienced while women stay chaste. However the chaste woman who has never done this before ever should totally be a natural, because that’s how sex works. (8. Quivering thighs caused by sexual arousal.
To answer the article author’s question — HELL YES. If your thighs aren’t shaking/quivering/quaking, then you’re doing something WRONG. There should also be toes pointing, eyes rolling back into your head, and heavy breathing bordering on panting too. And I’m not referencing books on this one. I’m talking real life experience and I’m sure several women would say the same.

9. Climaxing from almost nothing, like, he blows on her nipple.
I’ve never had it but a psychological orgasm is a thing. Ask anyone in the BDSM community. A skilled Dom/me can make someone climax from words alone. A single touch or blowing across the skin can trigger it as well. It’s all about preparation, anticipation and possibly blindfolds.

10. No one sees anything when sex is had in a car.
I gotta agree with this one. It’s all part of writing not to have characters get caught when in real life they would have been brought up on public indecency charges, but that’s the fun of fiction. No one gets caught unless it’s part of the plot. Is this something I think should stop just because it lacks realism? No. This goes back to the women’s fantasies argument again. And maybe the car has really dark tinted windows.

11. Desire “pools in [a woman’s] belly.”
Ummmmm… I’m not sure how else to describe the sensation. Arousal causes certain physiological responses in a woman’s body from a tingling sensation to a dull ache (voice of experience). And the “pool” comes from the vaginal walls lubricating in preparation of the intercourse to come. Since everything in that part of the body is inevitably blamed on the stomach (or belly), that’s where the sensation is described as happening.

12. UTIs don’t exist.
Yes this is Erotica/Erotic Romance’s worst lie and everyone knows that. Leave it alone. While I would never write an anal-to-vaginal scene without a condom change, those who do aren’t going to talk about possible yeast infections et al in the middle of a sex scene or after. Yuck. Talk about ruining the mood. WOMEN’S FANTASIES. No one gets a UTI unless it’s a plot device. Just like no woman who’s been letting the hero go bareback for the entire book ever gets pregnant unless it’s a plot device.

14. Shower sex is the HOTTEST THING EVER I COME UNDONE OMIGOD. Shower sex IRL is never as good as regs dry sex.
This is a matter of OPINION. The article author is allowed to have said opinion but to enforce that Erotica/Erotic Romance authors should stop writing about it because her experience with shower sex wasn’t that great is ridiculous. I wouldn’t do it. Knowing my luck, the hubby and I would end up in the hospital from a slip-and-fall accident. But I’m sure there are plenty of couples out there that swear by shower sex and would have it all the time if their water bill and water-heating bill allowed it.

15. The couple does it like seven or eight times a day and still has time to go out to eat and work at jobs.
FICTION! Enough said. Is it realistic? I don’t know. There might be a couple out there who has managed to fit in seven to eight sessions of sex in their schedule. Maybe they work from home or have quick-quickies. Maybe they have no kids and thus can have wake up sex, after they get ready sex, lunch break sex, after work sex, before dinner sex, after dinner sex, and pre-bedtime sex.

16. Women have magical orifices that are not only resistant to infections but also require no lube ever.
The original #16 had two typos I corrected. But moving on… Speaking from personal experience again (TMI ahead)… I don’t need lube. I get plenty wet all on my own. Soaking panties, dripping wet. Since that’s what I know, that’s what I write. Not all women are like that. Some women don’t create moisture (or not enough) and require lube. Some women (like me) create plenty on their own and lube would just be redundant.

17. The relationship is always love/hate.
It’s called conflict. Last time I checked, lack of communication was one of the top issues in any relationship. So if the heroine is beating herself up and hating on the hero for something “she made up some stuff in her head about him” then that’s falling in line with real life.

18. She always loves giving blow jobs. And swallowing. She acts like his penis is a damn cupcake or something.
This is SUBJECTIVE. It took me two seconds to find an article by a woman who LOVES giving blowjobs. It’s not my thing but there are women who love doing it. There’s a whole line of flavored condoms to backup the idea that women (and men) want to suck dick. I’m betting one of them is cupcake-flavored.

19. All guys are really super excellent at finger-banging. Finger-banging is like the vegan, gluten-free pizza of sex acts. It’s never your first choice from the menu.
SUBJECTIVE! Again subjective. There are videos all over the Internet about how to bring a woman to orgasm from “finger-banging” alone. The man (or woman) who knows how to do it properly has a partner who is ordering that off the menu first, last and always.

20. Finger-banging in public — like, you’re at dinner with his boss — is common.
See my comments for #10.

21. The man always has impeccable and sexy fashion sense.
What author is going to write about a slob unless he’s a fixer-upper for the heroine? In which case, My Fair Lady here we come.

22. And can dance really well at da club.
Unless bad dancing is a character trait to make the hero endearing, then yes, he will know how to dance. What’s more the heroine will know how to dance as well. Gender has no bearing on ability to dance. Youtube has proven this many times over.

23. His penis is always the size of a firetruck.
Going back to the women’s fantasies argument again. Most authors aren’t going to be writing about a guy with a half-inch dick. Sorry guys. Hard truth.

24. The characters get aroused and speak with periods. Between. All. Their. Words.
It’s. Called. Emphasis. Sometimes italics don’t cut it. There are certain things that have to be punctuated in weird ways in order to properly convey how they are spoken in real life. It’s not the like hero is saying, “Come. Period. For. Period. Me. Period. Sexy. Period.” You don’t read the periods as part of the speech. Just like you don’t read commas or question marks either.

25. Everyone orgasms every time they have sex. The man, the woman, the woman again. If. Only.
FICTION. WOMEN’S FANTASIES. What about that is so hard to understand? You’re reading this for escape from reality. As such, yes, everyone orgasms every time. The only time someone doesn’t orgasm is if it’s a plot device. Why would a reader keep buying an author who has sex scenes with no orgasms? I won’t even go into the personal side of always having sex and never having orgasms. That sounds like a conversation to be had with your partner and his/her inability to satisfy you.

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On 27 September 2014 at 11:22PM eastern (according to FB), I posted on my profile a statement about the Ellora’s Cave’s situation. I posted that same statement on my FB fan page for those following me there.

At the time I said I didn’t want to talk about it. My feelings on the matter have changed. What follows are FACTS backed up with EVIDENCE. I could rant and rave and carry-on but what’s the point?

Fact #1
14 August 2014, 10:01PM HST ~ I sent a request to Ellora’s Cave asking that the twelve (12) titles I have contracted on proposal be terminated and the rights reverted back to me. Three (3) of the twelve titles were finished and submitted in May 2014 but never edited due to my editor being in and out of the hospital. I had hoped to revert those three titles (Enticing the Curious, Surmounting the Past, and Probing the Truth) on the basis of them lapsing the 3 month editing clause in my contracts.

Fact #2
20 August 2014, 5:10PM HST ~ I receive a form letter reply from Ellora’s Cave addressed to “Dear Author,” informing me that they would review my contracts and get back with me in six months.

Fact #3
31 August 2014, 11:31PM Eastern ~ I email Ellora’s Cave a change of address notification as I moved from Hawaii to Maryland. I received an auto-reply the same day at 11:32PM Eastern.

Fact #4
03 September 2014, 12:26AM Eastern ~ I sent a follow-up email to my rights reversion request stating the titles are not published and thus shouldn’t be subject to the 6-month reversion timeline stated in the contracts.

Fact #5
03 September 2014, 9:14AM Eastern ~ Ellora’s Cave sends another “Dear Author” email stating no contracts are being terminated and Ellora’s Cave has the option to publish a LINE edited manuscript without author participation (Section 5 of the Ellora’s Cave contract).

Fact #6
17 September 2014, 12:58:46PM Eastern ~ I mail a certified letter from Ft. Meade post office to Ellora’s Cave with a follow-up, follow-up rights reversion request for the return of my proposal contracts stating I have no intention of submitting the proposal titles, which means Section 6: Termination for Non-Delivery should be in effect.

On this same date is when I check my post office box that I rent from the Ft. Meade USPS to see if my Ellora’s Cave royalty check has arrived. It has not.

Fact #7
26 September 2014, 11:37AM Eastern ~ I receive USPS return receipt confirmation that my certified letter was delivered to Ellora’s Cave on 19 September 2014 at 12:36PM Eastern and signed for by Kendra Rumschlag.

Fact #8
29 September 2014, 1:39PM Eastern ~ I receive a series of text messages from my husband who is now stationed at Ft. Meade. I have given him my post office box key so he can check my mail since he’s down that way and we are currently a single car household. He reports my Ellora’s Cave royalty check has arrived and the amount.

The pictures that follow are said check (with the account information covered), the dateless metered envelope it arrived in, and the statement of royalties earned. Sorry for the blurriness of the images. I took them with my iphone. As you can see, I’m not a high earner.

And for those who didn’t know, the D. in D. Renee Bagby stands for Deatres. I choose to go by my middle name because people kept butchering the pronunciation of my first name.

Fact #10
03 October 2014, 8:33AM Eastern ~ Ellora’s Cave sends another “Dear Author” response with a definite and final NO to my request, citing there is no contractual reason to revert them.

Fact #11
03 October 2014, Approximately 10:30AM Eastern ~ I get a phone call that wakes me up. I check my email and see the above reply. I decide it’s time to put my timeline on the Internet. I also decide to put on my website a notification in bold giant red lettering that the Daily Grind Series and the High Relief Trilogy are now on indefinite hiatus.

IF Ellora’s Cave decides to publish Enticing the Curious (Daily Grind 3), Surmounting the Past (Daily Grind 4), and/or Probing the Truth (Daily Grind 5), it is without my cooperation after repeated attempts to have these contracts terminated.

I find it funny (in a non-humorous way) that after spending almost an entire year sending certified letters and making phone calls to secure the reversion of rights for A Valentine’s Gift for Tori from Red Rose Publishing (yes, I WAS an author there as well way back when) that said book is now tied up in a rights reversion tug-of-war at Ellora’s Cave. I had planned to rework (read — completely overhaul) the title and release it as part of the Daily Grind Series.

So these are my FACTS. I’m sure posting this isn’t going to make me a favorite person with some people and I don’t care. This is cathartic for me. I need this off my chest and out of my head so I can move on to other projects that need my attention more than this.

EDIT 03 October 2014 at 5:49PM Eastern — Fact #12
03 October 2014, 5:01PM Eastern ~ Tina Engler/Jaid Black replies to my 3:11AM Eastern email (with Patty and Contracts included in the reply) saying Ellora’s Cave’s email is backed up and they will get back to me about my request as soon as possible.

Since the email from Ellora’s Cave Contracts email (Fact #10) sounded pretty final on the subject, it’s interesting to get this reply from Tina.

Also, I’m not the only author who is walking away from a series. Lolita Lopez, who has an agent, ran into the same answer as I did with a quote to buy the rights back and came to the same conclusion — the series is dead.

EDIT 04 October 2014 at 5:32PM Eastern — Fact #13
04 October 2014 at 10:45AM Eastern ~ Contracts sent another resounding NO. I have no clue who is replying to the Contracts email address, but said person felt the need to tell me I cannot publish the books in any form or under a different title. I hadn’t planned to. It suits me well enough to let them die, like my subject line says.

This matter is closed until the day comes when I get my rights back or not. Naomie and Dane from the Daily Grind Series were fun characters that I hope to work with again one day. Until that day comes, they are buried deep under my ever-growing To-Be-Written pile.

Lexie’s job as a housekeeper at a five-star hotel doesn’t normally include the unique and risqué form of room service that important hotel guest Mr. Malena has requested, nor the generous tip he’s offered. Lexie can’t resist, and what should have been a one-time thing turns into an introduction into the sensual world of customer satisfaction. She finds much enjoyment in her “work,” but is it worth risking her job?

Disclaimers

(Just in case the FTC comes for a visit)
All reviews posted to this blog are for entertainment purposes only, express my own opinions, and done simply because I want to. I am affiliated with 7Tavern Reviews and my movie reviews do appear there, however all books and movies (and whatever else) are acquired using my own means.

I do NOT take review requests/suggestions, nor do I receive or are given movies/books/manga et al for review.

Amazon DisclaimerD. Renee Bagby / Zenobia Renquist is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.